A projection lamp for a projection device may be tested to evaluate the operational robustness of the projection lamp under various operating conditions and over various operational lifecycles. In particular, a projection lamp may be tested to determine operational failure thresholds and to observe the results of operational failure of the projection lamp. In one example, a projection lamp test may include deliberately causing a projection lamp to fail, and more particularly to cause the projection lamp to rupture in order to observe and assess the results of the projection lamp rupture, namely, the amount and rate of dispersion of projection lamp particles.
In one example, a projection lamp failure test technique may include forcefully applying a mechanical rod to the projection lamp to cause the projection lamp to rupture. As another example, the projection lamp may be cooled to a temperature that causes the projection lamp to fail.
However, these test techniques may require application of mechanical components that may not exist or occur in actual operation of the projection lamp and thus may not provide an accurate failure analysis. Furthermore, the testing techniques may be imprecise. For example, the mechanical rod may be applied to different regions of the lamp during each test. Further, temperature applied during testing may vary and may affect other operating conditions which may skew testing.